Friendroid by M.M. Vaughan
Danny Lazio doesn’t get along with kids. It’s not really his fault – his single mom does the best she can to provide, but his classmates still come down on him for it. Of course, it probably doesn’t help that he has a bit of a temper, but who can blame him when kids say he has fleas and his mom gets his clothes from the dumpster? It’s fine – having no friends just gives him more time to play his favorite game Land X, […]
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
My complaint against Conversations with Friends is wholly not the fault of the novel, the writer, or the characters within. My complaint is petty. I am being spoiled in lamenting that Conversations with Friends is not another Normal People. I know. It’s a wild assumption, I should know better, and the like- but Normal People was perfect. Conversations with Friends is a stepping stone on the path of Sally Rooney, and I wish that I had heeded a friend’s recommendation and read this one first! That being said, Conversations with Friends also worms a way into […]
Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian
From the crowded cover image there was only one way Memoirs of a Goldfish could go: the theme was going to be either: big fish in a little pond, goes to big pond and learns “There’s No Place Like Home” or the goldfish was going to go off looking for solitude and learn that “There’s No Place Like Home.” Either way, “There’s No Place Like Home” was going to be the message. And it is. Somewhat. What I mean is, yes, when the Goldfish’s small […]
Wolfsong by T.J. Klune
Official book description: Ox was twelve when his daddy taught him a very valuable lesson. He said that Ox wasn’t worth anything and people would never understand him. Then he left. Ox was sixteen when he met the boy on the road. The little boy who talked and talked and talked. Ox found out later the little boy hadn’t spoken in almost two years before that day, and that the little boy belonged to a family who had moved into the house at the end […]
Little Mole’s Wish by Sang-Keun Kim
Contains spoilers Little Mole’s Wish is a cute story, but also is a bit sad. This is especially true for the almost end. I am not sure how a child might take the fact there is a loss, but suddenly, “poof” the lost person is back. However, Sang-Keun Kim’s illustrations are lovely. Kim’s illustrations are just adorably comfortable. They are softly colored and perfectly detailed without being over-the-top. They are even slightly fuzzy, but not in any negative way. They just show how calm and […]
The Ranger by Nancy Vo
As previously mentioned, it is that time of year when the bookstore puts together its holiday newsletter. One title that will be reviewed is the picture book, The Ranger by Nancy Vo. The coworker who will have the honor of letting our readers know about Vo’s book was speaking with another coworker who said she felt it looked scary. And while it is not scary, it is not light hearted either There are several contradictions in feelings. There is an odd tone to the story […]
